Women and men are not the same—especially when it comes to their health risks, and the sometimes surprisingly different ways the two sexes respond to disease or treatment. From bone and cardiovascular disorders, to Alzheimer’s, stroke, depression, and sexual and reproductive health problems, women are at greater risk than men of developing specific diseases. And yet, despite growing evidence of the gender differences in disease manifestation, the medical community has been slow to acknowledge that the most effective treatments for women may not be the same as those for men. It’s time to move beyond the “one size fits all” approach and close the gender gap in healthcare. On May 10th, in partnership with Baptist Health, TEDxJacksonville will host a Salon at the Jessie Ball duPont Center titled “Real Talk for Women’s Health.” A panel of specialists will address gender in health and health care, and discuss how women can become their own best health and wellness advocates. Tickets are $21.00. The event will take place from 6:00-8:30 p.m. There will be light refreshments and a glass of wine for each attendee. [This event has concluded.]

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Discussion leaders:

• Mona Shah, MD: Cardiology, Baptist Health Services
• Jessica Sullivan, DO: Hematology/oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Specialists
• Rob Tamargo, PsyD: Psychogist at Mayport
• Ellen Williams, PhD: Baptist Behavioral Health

Hard facts about women’s health: Heart disease kills more women in the U.S. than all forms of cancer combined—nearly 500,000 women annually. But women’s cardiac health is “understudied, underdiagnosed and underrated,” according to the American Heart Association. While breast cancer gets all the press, lung cancer is actually the #1 cancer-killer in women each year. Strikingly, women who are non-smokers are three times more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than non-smoking men. Women have more strokes than men, and strokes kill more women than men. But the stroke symptoms in women are subtler and often overlooked. Alzheimer’s disease disproportionately affects women in both prevalence and severity, but the full impact of sex as a basic biologic variable on this neurodegenerative disease remains unclear. Women are 70% more likely to experience depression than men. The reasons for this uneven gender distribution are thought to be partly biological, partly psychological, and partly sociocultural. Being a woman has specific implications for health. Sexual and reproductive health problems are responsible for one third of health issues for women between the ages of 15 and 44 worldwide.